


Clear as a Bell

by storyplease



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, a bit o angst, sixth year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 11:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10592916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storyplease/pseuds/storyplease
Summary: After Katie recovers from her near-death experience, she decides that a certain Potions professor needs to be thanked. This is just a tiny drabble that I forgot to post awhile back that I recently found.





	

**Clear as a Bell**

She is standing outside his offices when he rounds the corner and for a moment, Severus Snape considers turning around and going back the way he came.  He can still see her face, twisted with inhuman pain as she lay broken in the snow.  His spell had only stabilized her- they’d needed St. Mungo's to fully unravel the damage wrought by the horrible cursed object.

_ She _ doesn’t make him feel terrible, per se.  But it is in the moments where he is most powerless that he realizes that there is no guarantee that he will be able to stop the worst from happening to those who he works so goddamn hard to protect.

She is nearly proof of that, and the thought twists horribly in his gut like a jagged knife.

“Good evening, Professor,” she says humbly, keeping her eyes at his feet.

“Miss Bell, is there a reason that you are not at the Great Hall with the others?” He looks down his nose at her, hoping that his fierce expression will send her scurrying away.

“I…I didn’t want to say anything in class…I had a lot to catch up on since it was my first day back.” She toes the ground nervously, as though expecting him to yell at her.

“Do you need help with the catch-up material?” He is absurdly relieved at the thought that he might simply get away with giving her some pointers on class material.

“Well…it’s just…” She looks helplessly at him and he nearly lets out a groan of frustration.  

Of  _ course _ the fiery Gryffindor girl who usually has no issue with speaking her mind  _ decides _ to go all bashful when he lease needs it. This is especially grating because he is in a hurry to get more of the pain-relieving potion for Albus, and he knows that the longer he waits, the longer Albus suffers.

“You may not think as much, but I do actually value my free time,” Severus says, somewhat more sharply than he intends, “Now then, for the love of Merlin! Out with it!”

“I…I just wanted to say…thank you, Sir.” Katie flinches slightly as though expecting a reprimand.

Severus stares at her. He only stops his jaw from hitting the floor in his utter surprise out of sheer will.

“I’ll…go.” Katie turns and runs off before he can say anything.

Severus un-wards his office, his cheeks growing pink at the unexpected praise.  Grabbing the potion, he runs back to the headmaster’s office to finish his originally intended task before holing himself up in his personal quarters and staring through a glass of wine into the fire with a look of self-loathing.

“I’m an idiot,” He growls at himself.  “Still, I suppose I did all right…”

He falls asleep in his chair again, but he wakes up in the morning feeling strangely refreshed.


End file.
